Topic- Sharissa

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For my topic, I have decided to focus on parent/child relationships. This topic is one that kind of gets brushed under the rug, because it is hard for adults (or anyone) to hear that they are not doing a good job or that their child is struggling. I feel that this topic needs to be shared not only for the lovers of Speak, The Absolute Diary of a Part Time Indian, Crank,  and 13 Reasons Why, but also for actual children and young adults who do not have the parents. I think I am going to compare some of the "good" parents from different books, like Divergent, to the "bad" parents in the books above and The Hunger Games. My major question in my paper is going to be- Why are parents not involved in their children's lives? I will give many examples of how the parents from the books above were present/not present in their lives, how some of the young adults just needed their parents to listen, and how the relationships looked.
Other questions:
How would a positive relationship with their parents affect the protagonists in the books above?
Do parents have an impact on their children?
Is there a way of repairing that said terrible relationship?
Can young adults still have a stable life with one parent? Or divorced parents?
Does birth order have anything to do with the relationship with parents?




Comments

  1. Victoria VanceNovember 27, 2017 at 8:08 AM

    Sharissa, I really like your idea of a good parent vs. bad parent driven thesis. I think asking the question of why aren't these parents involved is a really important one because as PARENTS their sole job is to provide for their children. I just think that this can lead to very interesting discussion in how it impacts the children's lives and I honestly wish I would have chose this topic for myself. Good luck on the paper!

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  2. chelseaNovember 27, 2017 at 8:09 AM

    Based on your major question in the paper consider the thesis phrasing your major question more specific like “from these novels various scenes involving parents are uninvolved ...” I like your topic overall! You can do a lot with that.

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  3. AnonymousNovember 27, 2017 at 8:11 AM

    Sharissa, I think this is a super important topic to discuss and it sounds very interesting to me as well because I feel like, as you mentioned, that this topic isn't frequently talked or cared about. Your questions are insightful and intriguing, and the books you are planning on talking about are abundant with great examples in relation to parent portrayals and how realistic those are in the lives of teenagers. I'm excited to hear about your research! Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  4. K.MNovember 27, 2017 at 8:11 AM

    I think it would also be interesting to explore reasons why a parent might be unable to be present or a strong presence in a child or young adult's life, and perhaps the question of when, if ever, it is acceptable for this to be the case. What if the parent has extenuating circumstances that prevent their involvement? What if they are suffering issues that would only compound those of the child; would it be best for them to stay detached in the case?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Taylor SimmonsNovember 29, 2017 at 1:06 PM

    This is a great topic and it's important because some parents are really so un-involved in their children's lives that they don't notice when they are going through rough times.

    ReplyDelete

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